Compact integrated flanged isolator ball valve
The present invention provides a flanged ball valve device which can be connected, as an integrated compact unit, to a pump at the valve flange end of the device by means of an integral flange and to various types of piping systems at the pipe end of the device by means of a pipe connector attached to the integrated valve housing of the device. The integral flange of the device is compatible with a variety of different sized pump flanges by virtue of a plurality of slotted bolt holes present in the integral flange. The valve handle provided in the present invention for opening and closing the spherical valve ball valve of the device is preferably U-shaped, thereby allowing increased surface area for insulation material of relative thickness to be wrapped around the integrated valve housing without disturbing handle rotation or covering the handle from view.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional application Ser. No. 60/362,099, filed Mar. 5, 2002.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIXNot applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe field of the present invention relates generally to flange and ball assemblies.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIt can be appreciated that flange and ball assemblies have been in use in connection with a variety of pump and plumbing applications for many years. Typically, ball and flange assemblies are comprised of components assembled by means of threaded or soldered parts including a flange adapter, a ball valve, along with various pipe nipples and other pipe couplings.
Conventional flange and ball assemblies provide a flange mechanically connected to the pump flange by a series of bolts. The flange is also connected to a ball valve via pipe fittings, usually in the form of a pipe nipple. The ball valve connects to the overall piping system by use of appropriately threaded pipe fittings.
One problem with conventional flange and ball assemblies is that such assemblies typically required the use of numerous individual components, rather than the use of a single integrated unit. Use of multiple individual components in conventional flange and ball assemblies produces a risk of developing leaks upon installation, thereby causing damage to property. Another problem with conventional flange and ball assemblies are that the flanges typically have bolt hole patterns fitting only one specific pump flange size, therefore limiting the compatibility of a particular flange. Conventional flange and ball assemblies also require significant labor and time to assemble and use, leading to an increase in cost, as compared to reduced labor and time required for use of an integrated unit. Also, a flange and ball assembly made up of several individual components results in a physically and dimensionally larger device as compared to a compact integrated unit. Larger assemblies take up more room in the usually limited space allocated to plumbing equipment inside buildings. Known flange and ball assemblies also have valve handles connected directly to the valve housing thereby limiting available space for insulation material to be installed around the valve body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne embodiment of the present invention provides a flanged ball valve device. This embodiment includes a valve housing having a flange end, a pipe end, and a stem opening in the valve housing in between the pipe end and the flange end. A flange is integrally formed on the flange end of the valve housing. In this embodiment the flange has slotted openings capable of connection with a plurality of differently oriented attachment openings on connecting pump devices. A spherical ball valve member within the valve housing has a central bore and is capable of moving to an open or closed position, thereby allowing or blocking passage of fluid through the spherical ball valve member. A valve stem is coupled to the spherical ball valve member and extends out of the stem opening in the valve housing. A valve handle is coupled to the valve stem for rotating the spherical ball valve member into an open or closed position.
In some embodiments, there is a pipe connector on the pipe end of the valve housing integrally formed with the valve housing, where the pipe connector is compatible with a variety of piping systems which may include any or all of the following: threaded type pipe fittings, barbed type pipe fittings (often used for flexible hoses), and solder ended type pipe fittings.
In some embodiments, the spherical ball valve member is an integral full-port ball valve and the valve stem is a blow-out proof stem. The blow-out proof stem is preferably sealed with a double o-ring stem seal, but may use seals of other types known in the art.
Another embodiment includes a valve housing having a flange end, a pipe end, and a stem opening in the valve housing in between the pipe end and the flange end. A flange is integrally formed on the flange end of the valve housing. A spherical ball valve member within said integrated valve housing has a central bore and is capable of moving to an open or closed position, thereby allowing or blocking passage of fluid through the spherical ball valve member. A valve stem is coupled to the spherical ball valve member and extends out of the stem opening in the valve housing. A U-shaped valve handle is coupled to the valve stem for rotating the spherical ball valve member into an open or closed position. In various versions of this embodiment, the U-shaped valve handle has at least two rise sections each having rise angles of at least about 75 degrees, has at least two rise sections each having rise angles of between 75 degrees and 90 degrees, and/or has at least two rise sections each having about the same rise angle.
The following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings discloses various embodiments of the flanged ball valve device wherein like reference numerals have been applied to like elements. Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated.
The present disclosure addresses a flanged ball valve device which can be connected to a pump at the flange end of the device by means of a flange integrally formed with the valve housing and to various types of piping systems at the pipe end of the device by means of a pipe connector attached to the valve housing of the device. The flange of the device is compatible with a variety of different sized or configured pump flanges by virtue of a plurality of slotted bolt holes present in the flange. One valve handle provided in the present disclosure for opening and closing the spherical valve ball valve of the device is U-shaped, thereby allowing maximal surface area for insulation material of relative thickness to be wrapped around the integrated valve housing without disturbing handle rotation or covering the handle from view. In one embodiment, the ball valve device of the present disclosure relates to isolator ball valves which serve as a connection between pumps for building services water circulation or pressure boosting and numerous types of building piping systems. These compact integrated units may provide any of a number of advantages in that type of application. Other implementations of ball valve devices recognized by those of skill in the art may also be able to use some or all of the disclosed advantages of the present disclosure.
Several alternate embodiments of the device are illustrated in the various figures. In
Spherical ball valve member 28 has a central bore through which passage of fluid may be allowed or blocked by operation of valve handle 14. The spherical ball valve member 28 is capable of being rotated between open and closed positions by means of valve handle 14 acting through valve stem 26. In one embodiment, valve handle 14 is U-shaped, such shape minimizing the dimensional space (commonly known in the industry as a “footprint”) occupied by valve handle 14. In alternate embodiments, T-shaped handles, V-shaped handles, flat handles, single or paired handles, wheels, or other handle elements recognized by those of skill in the art may be employed. Referring to FIG. 6–
As shown in
An identification tag may be placed on the valve handle 14 via identification tag attachment point 10 located at each end of the valve handle 14. In one embodiment, valve handle 14 is formed from metal and has a vinyl grip 12 as depicted in FIG. 3–
In one embodiment, blow-out proof valve stem 26 of spherical ball valve member 28 is sealed against the stem opening of the valve housing with a blow-out proof double o-ring stem seal 24 for optimal sealing and performance. Blow-out proof double o-ring stem seal 24 is preferably formed from a material such as rubber. In alternate embodiments, other materials or methods of sealing this opening may equally be employed. Referring to
As can be seen in
In one embodiment, flange 34 of flanged ball valve device 8 attaches to a companion flange on a pump such as a circulator pump or a pressure booster pump by means of bolts passing through bolt hole 38. As shown in
In one embodiment, pipe connector 22 (shown in
While preferred embodiments of this invention have been shown and described, modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or teaching of this invention. The embodiments described herein are exemplary only and are not limiting. Many variations and modifications of the system and apparatus are possible and are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but is only limited by the claims which follow, the scope of which shall include all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims.
Claims
1. A flanged ball valve device for connecting pump devices to pipe systems comprising:
- a valve housing having a pipe end, a flange end, and an integral stem opening in the valve housing in between the pipe end and the flange end;
- a flange on the flange end of the valve housing wherein the flange is an integrally formed part of the valve housing, the flange having two radially slotted openings capable of connection with a plurality of differently spaced attachment openings on connecting pump devices;
- a spherical ball valve member within said valve housing, the spherical ball valve member having a central bore and being capable of moving to an open or closed position, thereby allowing or blocking passage of fluid through the spherical ball valve member;
- a valve stem coupled to the spherical ball valve member and extending out of the valve housing through the stem opening;
- a valve handle coupled to the valve stem for rotating the spherical ball valve member into an open or closed position.
2. The flanged ball valve device of claim 1, wherein the valve handle is a U-shaped valve handle.
3. The flanged ball valve device of claim 2, wherein the U-shaped valve handle facilitates the placement of insulation material around the valve housing by minimizing the surface area of the valve housing directly blocked by the U-shaped valve handle.
4. The flanged ball valve device of claim 1, wherein the flange has a smooth surface which forms an optimal seal with the corresponding sealing surface of the pump device.
5. The flanged ball valve device of claim 4, wherein the corresponding sealing surface of the pump device is a companion flange with two openings which each can align with some portion of one of the slotted openings of the ball valve flange when the two flanges are mated for connection.
6. The flanged ball valve device of claim 1, wherein the valve housing is a one piece valve housing wherein the pipe end, the flange end, the flange on the flange end, and the stem opening are manufactured to result in a single piece valve housing.
7. The flanged ball valve device of claim 6, wherein the spherical ball valve member is a full-port ball valve.
8. The flanged ball valve device of claim 7, wherein the valve stern is a blow-out proof stern.
9. The flanged ball valve device of claim 8, wherein the region between the valve stem and the stem opening in the valve housing is sealed with a double o-ring stem seal.
10. The flanged ball valve device of claim 6, wherein the pipe connector is compatible with any one of a threaded type pipe fitting, a barbed type pipe fitting, and a solder ended type pipe fitting.
11. A flanged ball valve device for connecting pump devices to pipe systems comprising:
- a valve housing having a pipe end, a flange end, and a stem opening in the valve housing in between the pipe end and the flange end;
- a flange on the flange end of the valve housing wherein the flange is an integrally formed part of the valve housing;
- the flange having two radially slotted openings capable of connection with a plurality of different spaced attachment openings on consecutive pump devices;
- a spherical ball valve member within said valve housing, the spherical ball valve member having a central bore and being capable of moving to an open or closed position, thereby allowing or blocking passage of fluid through the spherical ball valve member;
- a valve stem coupled to the spherical ball valve member and extending out of the valve housing through the stem opening;
- a U-shaped valve handle coupled to the valve stem for rotating the spherical ball valve member into an open or closed position, wherein the U-shaped valve handle has at least two rise sections each having rise angles of at least about 75 degrees and the valve handle two rise sections have a length selected to allow a layer of insulation to be wrapped around the valve housing while allowing access to the handle.
12. The flanged ball valve device of claim 11, wherein the at least two rise sections each have rise angles of between 75 degrees and 90 degrees.
13. The flanged ball valve device of claim 11, wherein the at least two rise sections each have about the same rise angle.
14. The flanged ball valve device of claim 11, wherein the flange has two slotted openings capable of connection with a plurality of differently spaced attachment openings on connecting pump devices.
15. The flanged ball valve device of claim 14, wherein the spherical ball valve member is a full-port ball valve.
16. The flanged ball valve device of claim 15, wherein the valve stem is a blow-out proof stem.
17. The flanged ball valve device of claim 11, further comprising a layer of insulation wrapped around the valve housing, the layer of insulation having a thickness, wherein the valve handle two rise sections have a length greater than the thickness and extend through the layer of insulation.
18. A flanged ball valve device for connecting pump devices to pipe systems comprising:
- a one piece valve housing having a pipe end, a flange end, a flange on the flange end and an integral stem opening in the valve housing in between the pipe end and the flange end;
- a flange on the flange end of the valve housing wherein the flange is an integrally formed part of the valve housing, the flange having two radially slotted openings capable of connection with a plurality of differently spaced attachment openings on connecting pump devices;
- a spherical ball valve member within said valve housing, the spherical ball valve member having a central bore and being capable of moving to an open or closed position, thereby allowing or blocking passage of fluid through the spherical ball valve member;
- a valve stem coupled to the spherical ball valve member and extending out of the valve housing through the stem opening;
- a U-shaped valve handle coupled to the valve stem for rotating the spherical ball valve member into an open or closed position, wherein the U-shaped valve handle has at least two rise sections each having rise angles of at least about 75 degrees.
19. The flanged ball valve device of claim 18, further comprising a layer of insulation wrapped around the valve housing, the layer of insulation having a thickness, wherein the valve handle two rise sections have a length greater than the thickness and extend through the layer of insulation.
20. The flanged ball valve device of claim 18, wherein the valve handle two rise sections have a length selected to allow a layer of insulation to be wrapped around the valve housing while allowing access to the handle.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Mar 5, 2003
Date of Patent: Aug 30, 2005
Assignee: Oslin Nation Co. (Dallas, TX)
Inventor: Leslie M. Ward (Arlington, TX)
Primary Examiner: Edward K. Look
Assistant Examiner: John K. Fristoe, Jr.
Attorney: Conley Rose, P.C.
Application Number: 10/379,631